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1 What is a reading group

A Reading Group is a group of people who meet together regularly, specifically to talk about books and reading. In this case on a specific topic, the R programming language.


2 Why join a reading group

  • Improve your coding skills

  • Help others improve their coding skills

  • Develop presentation skills

  • Opportunities to learn together, share ideas and best practices

  • Socialise with people with the same interest

Image showing an example of spark partitions


3 What to expect


3.1 What books will it cover

The initial plan is to start with the book below;

Then members can agree on what other books, blogs, papers or resources to do next such as;


3.2 What level of knowledge is expected

All levels of knowledge and experience are welcome, the main aim is about learning together.

Having basic R knowledge would be an advantage, I would recommend having a look at the Introduction to R

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3.3 How is it going to work

  • Every member reads the chapter, highlight the key points on each topic and a volunteer present what they think are the key findings

  • Go through the exercises together

  • Discuss content

Members will be encouraged to present topics of their choice.

NOTE: This is not a training session - but a chance for peer to peer discussion on the knowledge you have gained.

Image showing an example of spark partitions


3.4 How often will the group meet

The event will be hosted once a month in a 1 hour meeting. Members will be required to read a chapter a month.


4 How to join

To join email ADD EMAIL HERE with the reading group you want to join and you will be added to a waiting list.

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5 How to get the best out of the book club

Each book club will have 2 facilitators, their main role is make sure everyone gets an opportunity to contribute and step in if they are no presenters.


5.1 General Meeting Strucutre

The meeting will be 1 hour long once a month, our recommendation is chapter a month but feel free to meet more frequently if the club decides.

The hour will be broken down as follows

  • 15 mins presentation
  • 15 mins discussion
  • 15 mins questions and exercises
  • 15 mins any other business



5.1.1 Week 1 - Introduction

  • Get to know each other -ADD ICE BREAKER HERE

  • Decide who will be a facilitator

  • Topics to cover;

    • What is r
    • What is r studio
    • Brief overview of what it looks like and does
    • What is a package
    • How to install a package
    • How to load a package
    • What is the tidyverse
    • Getting help with r

There is no exercises for week 1


5.1.2 Week 2 - Data Visualisation

  • Topics to cover;

    • What is ggplot
    • Creating a plot
    • Ggplot basic graphic template
    • Exercises
    • Aesthetic mappings
    • Exercises
    • facets

5.2 Book Club Evaluation

Members will be encouraged to complete a quarterly survey to see what progress is being made and what changes we can make to ensure everyone gets the best experience from the book clubs.


6 Frequently Asked Questions


6.1 Whats happens if I havent read the chapter, can I still attend?


6.2 What if no ones wants to present?


6.3 I want to present but I feel nervous?


6.4 I want to present but I dont know what to include in the presentation?


6.5 Can I work in collaboration with someone else for the presentation?


Images and Illustrations done by Allison Horst